Her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging jail personnel did not properly monitor Bland while she was in her cell, and did not respond properly when she refused to eat and began crying uncontrollably. Video from dashboard-mounted camera in the police auto driven by Texas Trooper Brian Encinia, who is white, indicated Bland was ordered to put out a cigarette, which she did not do. Her death was ruled a suicide.
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In a statement, Larry Simmons, the attorney representing Waller County, said the parties are still working through some details. “In addition, the potential settlement must be approved by the Waller County Commissioner’s Court”, Simmons said. He also said the county “vigorously” denies any fault or wronging in Bland’s death.
Some of the procedural changes included the use of automated electronic sensors for timely cell checks and assigning a staff nurse or emergency medical technician for all shifts. A grand jury did not believe him when he said he “removed Bland from the auto she was driving so he could conduct a safer traffic investigation”, according to CNN, and many believe she should not have been arrested at all. Bland refused so Encinia resorted to physical force to pull her from her vehicle and place her under arrest. She was sent to Waller County Jail and held on $5,000 bail.
Most of the settlement amount will be paid by the Waller County jail at $1.8 million.
Authorities said Bland, 28, killed herself three days after she was arrested by a state trooper for a minor traffic offense.
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She was visiting Texas from her home in IL to apply for a job at Prairie View A&M University, from which she graduated in 2009. Bland’s mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, told the station any legislation passed which benefits Waller County must be named in her daughter’s honor. Bland was ultimately arrested and charged with attempting to assault an officer. Dash cam video showed Encinia dragging Bland from her auto and threatening to “light her up” if she didn’t obey his commands. Smith said two jailers who spoke with Bland insisted that she appeared fine when booked into the jail. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and has since been fired from DPS. Cannon Lambert said that a former guard at the jail by the name of Rafael Zuniga admitted under oath that he falsified entries in a jail log to make it seem that he had checked on Bland within the hour that she was allegedly found hanging in her cell. The case brought national attention to the problem of jailhouse suicide and deaths, particularly those of black women.
